A Cricket Enthusiast’s Guide to the FIFA World Cup 2026
As India lifts its third ICC T20 trophy and becomes the first nation to ever defend the T20 world cup successfully, our nation filled with cricket enthusiasts now find the calendar advancing towards a much different, and more extravagant tournament: the FIFA World Cup 2026. Even today, as the popularity of football reaches every nook and corner of the world, only a few Indian states are usually enthusiastic about the “beautiful game”. That said, we can't ignore the rise in footballing mania every four years when the World Cup is around. While there are far more differences than an occasional similarity here and there, here is how an average cricket enthusiasts can navigate the greatest event of the beautiful game.
The basics of the game are known by all and so are the overall positions like goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward. However, there are slight deviations such as wingers who play parallel to the attacking forward on either left or right: areas which are known as flanks. Similarly, there are left and right defenders or full backs on the flanks too. From a layman’s perspective, think of the FIFA World Cup as the equivalent of the Cricket World Cup but with more teams. This time, 48 nations would be participating in the upcoming tournament, wherein the host teams are USA, Canada and Mexico.
When we see cricket, there are various potential dark horses. In the FIFA World Cup, the magnitude is quadruple. Right now, out of the 48 teams, 42 have qualified with tournament including a number of them who would be making their debut in the world cup like Curacao, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde.
Unlike national teams of cricket which face each other in random tournaments or bilateral series, football is a sport wherein league games take up most of the calendar. Think of a year-long-IPL every year in every nation. National games are rare. Football fans are more accustomed to see their favourite footballers playing as a part of a club than a nation – which makes this national tournament all the more exciting. In fact, the football World Cup is a great place to start watching football if you have no prior knowledge of the squads.
The GOATs of the Game
Like cricket, football too has many icons and of course, the names of Ronaldo and Messi top the popularity charts. However, one has to keep in mind that if they’re watching the World Cup solely for these players – it’s like watching Sachin Tendulkar in the 2010s. These two names of football have dominated the footballing discussions for over a decade and now, neither of the two giants play in the Top 5 European leagues which are considered the pinnacle of football. However, their veteran stature and the unpredictability of the tournament make their presence a spectacle.
France
One of the most talked about players in the World Cup is Kylian Mbappe – someone who has not only tasted the World Cup victory in 2018 but is also known for his single-handed yet unfortunate heroics in the final of the 2022 World Cup. In one of the most riveting finals of the last few decades, Mbappe scored a hat-trick of goals only to unfortunately lose to Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Right now, Mbappe leads the European score-charts at the age of twenty-six and is in the form of his life. Plus, he would be backed by his mighty French national squad – which draws parallels to Australian Cricket team of the 90s and the early 2000s.
Much like the ICC Player of the Year, there is the football equivalent called Ballon D’Or – which is given to the most in form player over the last year. Last year, it was Ousmane Dembele who won the Ballon D’Or – who is also leading the French attack along with Kylian Mbappe. In defense, the French team is equally formidable with defenders William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate and Jules Kounde to look out for.
Brazil
Nostalgia factor is also a player when it comes to World Cup. It is not uncommon to see the overnight rise of Brazilian and Argentinian fans, especially in the streets of Kolkata and Kerala. Ask these people, and a well-informed one would say that the football bug bit them ever since they discovered the Joga Bonito – the Brazilian style of play that includes skilful dribbling, passing, and scoring for fun. Once the giants, today one might consider them one of the top dark horses; something that cricket fans feel when their opponent is West Indies. People who had fallen in love with the likes of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazario in 2002 would now stand behind the attacking trio of Vinicius Jr, Richarlison and Raphinha – all of whom are in terrific form. Same goes with the managerial department. As coach Scholari gained global fame after lifting the trophy in 2002, this time they are led by Carlo Ancelotti, who has won countless league and European trophies.
Argentina
The Argentine squad is led by the most decorated footballer of all time, Lionel Messi who has won the Ballon D’or in eight out of the last fifteen years. After repeated misadventures in World Cup over the years, the arguably greatest player of all time had finally lifted the World Cup last time in 2022. So much was the enthusiasm for presumably ‘Messi’s last World Cup’ that everything felt like a script written by the footballing Gods. The defending champions are stacked with an ageing yet lethal squad filled with the likes of Rodrigo De Paul, Otamendi, Lautaro Martinez and others.
Portugal
Speaking of a unique style of plays and dark horses, we have a solid contender in Portugal. Much like the captain cool close to home, the ageless 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to shine of the greatest stage; and this time, his squad isn’t a one-man team unlike the prior decade. In modern football, the position of left-and-right backs are far more utilised than ever before – almost at par with wingers. Consider these four as middle-order batters/runners but since running takes centre stage in football, these positions; such players have a very important role since they dictate the flow and speed of the game. Not only are they blessed with the best left-back in the world, Nuno Mendes but are also strong in the midfield with the likes of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes – who have proven themselves over the last two years.
Netherlands
In the 2010 World Cup, the Dutch squad gained a lot of fans after they showed their spirit all the way to the finals. To understand the Netherlands football team, an average cricket fan may very well look at the Indian cricket team. Barring the French, the Dutch squad provides humongous squad depth. In the right-back position, they are faced with the dilemma of starting either Denzel Dumfries or Jeremy Frimpong – two of the best right-backs in the world. In the centre, they are a defensive fortress with numerous examples like Virgil Van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Jurrien Timber and Matthias De Ligt – with van Dijk being one of the defenders to look out for in the World Cup. Think of these players as the test batsmen who can block every attempt all day - especially with Virgil Van Dijk at the centre. In the midfield, there are again plenty of examples to pick from, along with the trailblazing Frankie De Jong. There are solid examples like Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Quentin Timber and Koopmeiners. Every position is a nightmare for their selectors but whatever they do, the Dutch team are mostly the strongest contenders of all time.
England
Talking about year-round football, the English Premier League is considered one the most high-intensity and pace-heavy leagues. They have some of the most passionate fans and highly talented players like Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham who are two of the best midfielders in the world right now. Apart from that, they have a super belligerent crowd. However, every single time from 1966 they have been entering the tournament like a romantic underdog – much like their cricketing counterparts.
Japan
The “Blue Samurai” has been the historical Asian heavyweight in most World Cup tournaments ever since the 1990s. The Japanese side has qualified for the tournament comfortably scoring 24 goals in seven matches. Japan’s style involves relentless running and finding open spaces to exploit the other team’s weakness. With hardworking wingers on both sides like Takefusa Kubo and Kauro Mitoma, it’s akin to watch a hard-hitting opening pair.
Norway
Speaking of an opening pair, no team has ever had a resurgence like Norway in recent times solely due to their forwards. Today, in global football, Erling Haaland stands as one of the examples to look out for. In the last eight games en route to the qualification, Haaland scored sixteen goals – including five against Moldova. Haaland also plays in the English Premier League where he is consistently one of the too Along with Haaland, there is the creative Martin Odegaard in the attacking midfielder position; strategically behind him. With the two of them at the forefront, Norway has earned their World Cup entry for the first time since 1988.
Germany
The German team represents tradition. With a history of three World Cups, only behind Brazil’s five, “Die Mannschaft” is well known for being a European giant of the tournament and a team to look out for. There is the veteran Joshua Kimmich, followed by wonderkid Jamal Musiala and the unpredictable Florian Wirtz. Once a dominant side, the 2014 champions are now yearning for its once glorious comeback. All in all, the German team is a mix of uncertainty and promise.
[Authored by Shreyan Laha.]